消防员们与这场森林大火搏斗了近三周，才终于将其控制住。
Firemen had been fighting the forest fire for nearly three weeks before they could get it under control.
就在不久之前，参天大树还曾绵延方圆数英里覆盖着这片乡野。
A short time before, great trees had covered the countryside for miles around.
此刻，烟雾依然从荒凉山丘上那片温热的地面袅袅升起。
Now, smoke still rose up from the warm ground over the desolate hills.
冬天即将来临，山丘以毁灭之势威胁着周围的村庄，因为大雨不仅会将泥土冲走，还会引发严重的洪灾。
Winter was coming on and the hills threatened the surrounding villages with destruction, for heavy rain would not only wash away the soil but would cause serious floods as well.
当大火终于被扑灭之后，林业部门订购了数吨一种会迅速生长的特殊草种。
When the fire had at last been put out, the forest authorities ordered several tons of a special type of grass-seed which would grow quickly.
种子由飞机大量喷洒在地面上。
The seed was sprayed over the ground in huge quantities by aeroplanes.
飞机播种了将近一个月，才开始下雨。
The planes had been planting seed for nearly a month when it began to rain.
然而到那时，很多地方的草已经生根了。
By then, however, in many places the grass had already taken root.
代替那些已在那里生长了几个世纪的参天大树，一片片绿色开始出现在那片焦黑的土地上。
In place of the great trees which had been growing there for centuries, patches of green had begun to appear in the blackened soil.